Crystal Palace had never won a major trophy.
Never been in Europe.
The scenes of pure joy after their 1-0 over Manchester City at Wembley made for one of 2025's most memorable football stories.
They believe they earned their right to play in the Europa League next season. According to well-placed sources, there are factions at Uefa who have a similar opinion.
But less than two months on, the aftermath has been tainted by acrimony, rivalries and, ultimately, Uefa rules around multi-club ownership rules.
The upshot is Palace are out of the Europa League.